Jerusalem Artichoke Winter Rice Salad

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My absolute favourite part about a Jerusalem artichoke is its smell. When it’s raw, it smells like petrichor, the smell of rain falling on dry earth. When you cook it, it takes on a rich, earthy aroma filled with wholesome goodness and sunshine – the perfect centrepiece for a hearty winter salad made a little bit more filling (but not too filling) with the addition of a satisfying wholegrain rice.

Jerusalem Artichoke and Asparagus Rice Pilaf

Prep time: 30 minutes | Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes | Serves: 6

for the pilaf

406 g (500 ml) sorghum, soak overnight

1.5 L water

20 g (30 ml) butter, salted

10 g parsley, chopped

5 ml Maldon salt

190 g (250 ml) Spekko basmati long grain white rice

650 ml vegetable stock

5 ml Maldon salt

20 g (30 ml) butter, salted

120 g edamame beans

340 g asparagus

30 g (40 ml) butter, salted

500 g Jerusalem artichoke, thinly sliced

500 ml oil, for deep frying

5 ml Maldon salt

10 g baby spinach

375 ml hummus

for the garnish

10 g dill

5 g spekboom, picked

Soak the sorghum in a medium bowl overnight in cold water and cover, place the bowl in the fridge. After removing the sorghum from the fridge, rinse the sorghum under cold running water until the water runs clear.

In a large saucepan, bring the water and sorghum to a boil over medium heat and cook until tender, strain excess water if needed, and stir in the butter until melted, season with salt.

In a medium saucepan, cook the rice in the vegetable stock according to package instructions (replace the water with vegetable stock for more flavour).

Blanch the asparagus in a medium saucepot until tender, in a separate saucepan add butter over medium heat, once the butter has melted toss the asparagus and edamame beans for 1 – 2 minutes and season with salt.

Preheat oil in a small saucepot to 180 °C, and deep fry half of the thinly sliced Jerusalem artichokes until crispy, remove from the oil and place on paper towel and season with salt, fry the remaining slices in a little bit of olive over medium heat in a saucepan, add thyme and season with salt.

For the garnish deep fry baby spinach leaves

Layer the rice with vegetables, hummus and deep-fried artichokes. Make small dollops of hummus on the plate and add the dill and spekboom.